Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1955)

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6 Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, January 26, 1955 Hollywood Bu Samuel D. Berns^^^ INCIDENTALLY : American Cinema Editors Society is making plans to acquaint the industry with its importance. George Amy, editing Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, compared TV problems of matching footage to meet program time requirements, between courses at Lucey's, with ACE's new prez, Dick Cahoon, who spoke of the headaches which were aspirined by editors for the wide-screen innovation. They're about even. . . . Shavelson-Rose's deal with Hecht-Lancaster became a mutual cancellation when the producer-director team of Bob Hope's "Seven Little Foys" signed a multiple deal with Paramount. . . Al Burrs and Dave Robbins are listening to offers for their ownership rights to the Kling Studios. . . . Director John Sturges told 150 UCLA students all about the production of "Bad Day At Black Rock." . . . Ben Cooper's star is rising. Finished playing sailor-love of Marissa Pavan in Hal Wallis' "The Rose Tattoo" in time to launch the Davy Crockett role in Republic's tentatively titled "Frontiersman." . . . Dick Powell is being plagued with offers to m.c. local industry affairs. . . . When Phil Waxman puts the Jack Palance "Pistolero" package into production he'll have Ed (Si's son) Fabian's money betting it's a winner. . . . Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association and Foreign Press Association (Montagues and Capulets) had to join hands for the annual Golden Globe and Film Favorites of the Year awards next month at the Ambassador. (Dick Powell can't make this one.) n □ n FRANK O. PINYONS: Now that Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Bellafonte are a smash team in 20th's "Carmen Jones," M-G-M could get out from under with a reissue of the pair's debut in "Bright Road." A darn good picture, anytime. . . . Smart "Show Business" casting: Paramount's signing of Mitzi Gaynor to team with Donald O'Connor again in a co-starring role for Bing's next musical "Anything Goes." . . . Bob Mitchum's "he-man-globin" was okay for RKO's "Blood on the Moon," but Batjac changed its mind on the type for Warner's "Blood Alley." DRUM BEATERS: Hazel Flynn, former flack for Radio City Music Hall, and before that a Hearst film editor in Chicago, is back on the other side of the fence again as amusement editor and film critic for Bezrrly Hills Daily NezvsLifc. . . . NBC gets Bob Hope for free with Sheila Graham's shozvings of "Seven Little Foys" film clips for five days in a rozv on her new net shozv. . . . Johnny Flinn added two more field e.vpioiteers for Allied Artists "Tonight's the Night." . . . John Del Vallc, nozv managing Mayer & O'Brien's Western public relations offices, will be briefing the press on Academy Awards presentations. . . . Bill Williams and the Mrs., Barbara Hale, arc on a tub-thumping tour Bill for his "Kit Carson" video viewers, and Barbara for Warner's "Unchained." . . . Esther Williams scored a television double header for "Jupiter's Darling" on "What's My Line" and Ed Sullivan's "Toast of the Town" n n n THE BIG "SHORT" MEDIUM: That tall good-natured Carl Dudley, who got his schoolin' a few years back in M-G-M's short subjects writing department, has become the town's most prolific independent short subjects producer. His ability to produce quality shorts at a price has made him a "successful dependent" of the majors who trimmed their own shorts department. Paramount is buying six 2-reel "VistaVision Visits" from him. He supplies Republic with its "This World of Ours" series ; Warners with six one and two-reelers ; a group for U-I ; and a couple of two-reel CinemaScopers for 20th. . . . Now that he has the backing of a $2 millions revolving fund, lie formed Dudley Pictures International in England to make 25 features in the next five years, with "Nine Billion Names of God," "King of Diamonds" and "Doomsday" set as the titles for the first three. ... In addition to all this he still finds time to make deals with independent producers for the use of his Vistarama camera lens, an anamorphic photographic lens attachment, similar to the CinemaScope production lens, prominent among the items of equipment responsible for the success of the industry's new media. Carl Dudley Mass. Law (Continued from page 1) show "Miss Julie" on two Sundays in the spring of 1954, and has refused a similar application for a future Sunday. Attorneys for the theatre contended in the lower court that the licensing law is invalid under both the United States Constitution and the Massachusetts constitution. By its appeal, the Brattle Theatre has placed before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court the question of constitutionality. It is expected the case will be argued before the Supreme Court early in 1955. Attorneys for the Brattle Theatre are Peabody, Koufman and Brewer of Boston, who cited a recent case in the Supreme Court of the United States striking down a New York licensing law which prohibited the showing of "sacrilegious pictures as binding upon the Massachusetts court." Judge Cahill, however, upheld a demurrer filed by the Attorney General which alleged that the statute was constitutional. New UK Firm (Continued from page 1) pend £160,000 to satisfy British Lion Studio's debt. The net result of the operation will result in an expenditure of £356,900 by NFFC, against which it holds 600 shares, of £1 each, which represents the whole capital of the new company. The government approval was viewed as a means of maintaining British Lion production and distribution facilities, in addition to sustaining a third force against J. Arthur Rank and the ABC organization. The question, however, being asked is whether the governmently rescued British Lion will fill the bill. 20 Regional Bows For 'Black Tuesday' United Artists' "Black Tuesday," has been set for 20 regional premieres that will kick off on Thursday, it was announced by William J. Heineman, vice president in charge of distribution for UA. Ke cities unveiling the picture are Seattle, Chicago, Kansas City, Cleveland, Columbus, Akron, Toledo, Reading", Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Wilmington, Nashville, New Orleans, Harrisburg, Syracuse, Bridgeport, Providence, Stamford and Boston. Ampex Cutting Work On Drive-in Stereo Efforts of the Ampex Magnetic Recording Corp. to promote the use of multiple-track magnetic stereophonic sound at drive-in theatres has "more or less fallen by the wayside" due to a general apathy on the outdoor exhibitors' part, it was learned yesterday from an Ampex representative. The high cost of installing additional wiring equipment, speakers, etc., plus the 20th Century-Fox policy change in selling CinemaScope with optical and magnetic sound, has caused Ampex to drop a vast majority of the work on drive-in stereophonic sound, the equipment official said. Ampex, in March, had announced plans to market a stereophonic sound speaker which weighed 12 ounces and cost $12 each for outdoor theatres. Jim Mahon, sales manager for Ampex who demonstrated the new speaker at the 20th-Fox office, then stated that no price had yet been set for the installation of the speakers in the various size drive-ins. "Not counting labor, it will run about $2'5,000 for a 500 to 750-car outdoor theatre with the pres ent wiring being utilized, Mahon said in March. The introducers of CinemaScope and stereophonic sound, 20th-Fox, had changed its sales policy in allowing product filmed in the medium to be sold for either one-track optical, onetrack magnetic or four-track magnetic sound. Allied Weighs (Continued from page 1) to the amount of time and money that would have to be spent on the case then by the exhibitor groups — would be that the case might be decided in the government's favor and the court might bind the exhibitors in the final findings and judgment. In that event, the theatre owner groups and quite possibly the individual theatre members might be liable for damages in any private anti-trust suit brought by an individual television station owner, who could use the government-won verdict and judgment as prima facie evidence in his own suit. Some Allied officials feel that even if Allied became a defendant and the government won the case, the final court order would apply only to the distributors and not to the exhibitors. That, however, is the type of thing that must be weighed before any decision is made, according to one Allied official. UA to Distribute (Continued from page 1) however, marks the first time either of the Skouras brothers have been connected with film production. Duties of the new partners already have been defined. Jacks, who produced five of the 10 pictures for Panoramic Productions last year, will function as producer of the films to be made by the new organization. Goldstein will handle the West Coast financing and other executive matters. Plato Skouras, currently employed at 20th Century-Fox studio, will work with Jacks on the production end, while Spyros S. Skouras will continue his executive duties as president of Skouras Theaters in New York and will confine his activities with the new company to Eastern financing and distribution problems. Crown Productions already has purchased "The Killer Is Loose" and has assigned writer Danny Fuchs to do the screenplay. Jacks plans to put this first United Artists release before the cameras early in March at RKO-Pathe Studio. Portland Maintains Fast New Year Clip PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 25.— The heavy increase in attendance at all of Portland's downtown theatres in the first week of the new year, was not just a "flash" but has continued each succeeding week, to be from 10 to 20 per cent ahead of the same weeks of 1954, managers say. Outstanding features were "Show Business" in a fourth week at New Fox Theatre, and "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" also in a fourth week. Both features will now be continued at Evergreen's subsequent run houses. Big 'Underwater!' Sign What is said to be the most elaborate motion picture sign to be built on Broadway in a decade will be erected above the Mayfair Theatre for "Underwater !", it has been disclosed by Walter Branson, RKO Radio worldwide sales manager. The film will open at the theatre on Feb. 9. A 50-foot-high color transparency of Jane Russell in a bathing suit will be projected from a colored background of the ocean.